For many of us during childhood,a casual mention of a visit to the doctor’s clinic was enough to cause a pang of anxiety.The long boring wait,the dreary walls and the impossibly high furniture of the clinic,would exacerbate our
restlessness.Propped on a cold steel chair,we were intimidated by the doctor’s examination and the sternness of the matronly staff. Research indicates that mental well-being is critical to healing. Roger S Ulrich,a noted researcher explains, ‘Alleviating patient stress is a significant clinical goal because stress is both a negative health outcome in itself and has a variety of detrimental psychological,physical and behavioural effects that worsen other outcomes.’A warm, familiar and an engaging environment puts children at ease and helps them heal. Opportunities to interact with other children and
undertake age-appropriate activities,bring about some semblance of normalcy for them.Designing for children requires us to humanize the hospital experience while maintaining functionality and efficiency.‘Healing children’ aspires to conceive healing environments by putting‘empathy’ at the core of its efforts.It is an opportunity to understand the world from children’s perspective and design humane gestures that touch their lives in unique ways. (1297 characters)
